Data Sources & Codebooks

Here are the data sources and their corresponding codebooks. The data itself is available on the course P-drive. We will show you how to access the data sets during the third week of class.


CT Traffic Stops Study 

(TRAFFICSTOP): Record of every single traffic stop in CT in 2018 — where it happened, why they were stopped, etc.


The U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health

(ADDHEALTH):  This study is a representative survey of adolescents in grades 7-12 in the United States that were followed over time. We have access to two time points — when they began the study as adolescents (Wave 1) and then later in life when they are in their late 30’s/early 40’s (Wave 5).


The Mars Craters Study 

(MARS) created by Stuart Robbins, presents a global database that includes over 300,000 Mars craters 1 km or larger. Heavily cratered terrain on Mars was created between 4.2 and 3.8 billion years ago during a period of heavy bombardment (i.e. impacts of asteroids, proto-planets, and comets). Mars craters allow inferences into the ancient climate of Mars, and they add a key data point for the understanding of impact physics.


The U.S. National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

(NESARC):  This survey was designed to determine the magnitude of alcohol use and psychiatric disorders in the U.S. population. It is a representative sample of the non-institutionalized population 18 years and older.


National Survey on Energy and the Environment

(NSEE): This survey has covered topics such as public policy approaches to address climate change including federal, state, and international action; energy policies such as cap-and-trade, carbon taxes, renewable energy requirements, vehicle emissions standards, and many more; and knowledge and attitudes about global warming, climate adaptation, fracking, and geoengineering.


General Social Survey 

(GSS): This survey is administered to a national sample each year. The intention is to gain insight for social indicator research. There are a lot of diverse topics available in GSS: from internet use, to sentiments about government spending, feelings about different ethnic/racial/gender groups, respondent demographics, feelings about crime and punishment, and much more. Students will search for topics from one specific year (that is, you must search topics that are asked within the same year).

Financial Well-Being

(FinancialWB): This survey aims to help researchers understand the factors that help contribute to one’s financial well-being. The aim is to help support the financial goals of individuals and families through education and policy. The data includes information about individual income and employment, savings, financial behaviors, and attitudes.